The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has just issued Circular No. 11/2026/TT-BGDDT regulating the working regime for preschool teachers (Circular No. 11).
This Circular replaces Circular No. 48/2011/TT-BGDDT dated October 25, 2011 of the Minister of Education and Training stipulating the working regime for preschool teachers (Circular No. 48).
This is a step to improve policies to meet the specific nature of the work of preschool teachers and concretize the 2025 Law on Teachers.
For the first time, regulations on teaching content for preschool teachers
Circular No. 11 allows non-public preschool education institutions to base on the organizational and operational regulations of educational institutions to stipulate the working regime for preschool teachers under their management authority to ensure compliance with the regulations in this Circular and the provisions of labor law. This regulation aims to ensure unity and intercommunication between preschool education institutions inside and outside the public sector.
The Circular stipulates that working hours are the time to perform professional activities of preschool teachers, including: Teaching time, time to prepare for class hours, time to pick up and drop off children, study time, training time, time to prepare for the new school year, time to summarize the school year and time to perform other professional tasks according to professional activities requirements.
The Circular stipulates that teaching is the activity of nurturing, caring for, and educating children according to the Preschool Education Program. The Circular clarifies that the teaching of preschool teachers is carried out through the organization of learning activities, play activities, labor activities, outdoor activities and daily activities of children at preschool education institutions to suit the specifics of preschool education.
Clarify the concept of reducing teaching hours and converting professional activities
Specifically, the working hours of preschool teachers are implemented according to the school year, converted into teaching hours and guaranteed to be 40 hours/week, which includes the number of teaching hours per day.
The working hours of principals and vice-principals are guaranteed to be 40 hours/week, in which principals and vice-principals are required to directly teach instead of being able to attend children's classes of teachers in schools as in Circular No. 48.
The Circular also stipulates that principals and vice-principals are not allowed to convert the regime of reducing teaching hours or use teaching hours converted from professional activities to replace teaching hours. This regulation forces principals and vice-principals to grasp the content and objectives of the preschool education program in order to improve the effectiveness of leadership and management and ensure consistency with regulations on the working regime of principals and vice-principals of other levels of education and levels.
The Circular stipulates that the assignment and arrangement of tasks for preschool teachers must ensure regulations on teaching hours norms, working hours, and annual leave hours. In which, the assignment of preschool teachers to participate in dropping off children or picking up children or taking care of children at noon must ensure compliance with the actual situation of the teaching staff of the educational institution. Each preschool teacher does not concurrently perform more than 02 tasks.
For tasks that have already received remuneration or allowances, teaching hours are not reduced or converted to teaching hours, except for concurrent tasks of team leader, professional deputy team leader, youth union secretary and teaching classes for children with disabilities to integrate.
No longer stipulates that teachers are only entitled to reduced teaching hours in the highest position.
Regarding the regime of reducing teaching hours, according to Circular No. 11, professional team leaders are reduced by 3 teaching hours/week; deputy heads of professional teams are reduced by 1 teaching hour/week.
Preschool teachers concurrently holding the position of Youth Union secretary are entitled to a reduction of no more than 2 teaching hours/week. Preschool teachers concurrently holding positions supporting education for people with disabilities; clerical staff; libraries are entitled to a reduction of 2 teaching hours/week.
Preschool teachers during probation periods are reduced by 5 teaching hours/week; female teachers with young children from 12 months or less are reduced by 5 teaching hours/week.
Preschool teachers during the time of medical examination and treatment (not exceeding the prescribed time) who are agreed by the principal and have confirmation from the medical examination and treatment facility are not required to tutor and are calculated to teach enough teaching hours that day.
Preschool teachers teaching classes with disabled children learn inclusively, when teaching enough hours according to regulations, for every 1 disabled child/class, each preschool teacher is entitled to a reduction of 30 minutes/day.
Thus, the regulation on the working regime of preschool teachers in the Circular is to ensure the rights of teachers, ensure consistency with the working regime of teachers at other levels of education and qualifications. /.
